This invention relates to cooling systems, and more particularly to systems which use compression/expansion cycles of a refrigerant material to move thermal energy from one location to another. The compression/expansion cycle is also known as the Carnot cycle and is familiar to physicists and mechanical engineers.
The cooling systems of this invention use a distinctive compressor/condenser/evaporator structure which is adapted to miniaturization and facilitates the application of the technology to small spaces such as in electronic apparatus. It is known that electronic apparatus which employ semiconductor devices using significant energy require cooling systems. Such electronic apparatus include computer systems. Such systems may be in the classes of personal computers such as desktop or notebook systems, in server systems, in mid- and main-frame systems and numerous other types of apparatus. In computer systems, very large scale integrated semiconductor devices such as processors have come to use many watts of energy and for that reason release significant heat loads. Those heat loads have heretofore been borne, in order to keep the temperature of processors in a reasonable operating range, by heat sinks with natural or forced convection air systems with or without fans, by heat pipes used in association with convection air systems, by circulated fluids such as water chilled by an external refrigeration system, and by other means. While these approaches have been operable and enabled use of the supported processors, increasing power and heat dissipation from semiconductor devices has imposed limits on development, particularly for physically smaller apparatus where space and connectivity capabilities are restricted.